Narrative:

I was ordered to taxi into position and hold at the C4 intersection on runway 11R at vrb for an IFR flight to myat in the bahamas. The flight was made 1 day earlier than planned. The round trip international IFR flight plans were called in, by me, to the st petersburg FSS monday evening. Upon entering runway 11R, a low voltage light came on in the cockpit and the flight was delayed and put on hold by the tower to have my mechanics check out the problem. Around XE30Z the alternator electrical problem was temporarily fixed so the trip to the bahamas could be made. I then called st petersburg FSS again and reactivated my round trip IFR flight plan to depart vrb at XF00Z and return to fpr at XI45Z. After leaving myat airport at XH40Z, I climbed VFR to around 5000 ft and activated my IFR flight plan with ZMA on 134.2 and received my squawk code. It was at this time I asked center to please contact ft pierce customs and advise them that I would be late. The miami controller on 134.2 said he could not do that and that if I placed ft pierce on my flight plan, customs would be advised of my proposed arrival time. After flying for about 20 mins, I was cleared direct to the angee intersection then direct fpr. About 10 mi east of angee, ZMA on 132.15 said fpr was closed and I had to proceed to pbi around 50 mi south of fpr where I had my wife waiting to pick up the baby and take him home, rather than clearing customs and putting him in the aircraft to fly back to vero beach. I explained to the controller I had an infant in the plane and we had someone picking him up in ft pierce, but it wasn't a true medical emergency. The controller told me that if I didn't go to palm beach my plane would be impounded by customs, something I couldn't believe since I was cleared to fpr initially. I proceeded to fpr, canceled my IFR when I had the field in sight, then contacted the tower, which cleared me to land. After landing, I was directed to the customs facility and told that a citation jet was ordered from the california customs headquarters to meet me. I thought that to be a little too dramatic but accepted the fact. Upon reaching the customs area, which I am familiar with, I opened all baggage compartments and unloaded the contents of the aircraft on the tarmac, and waited. Within 2 mins a st lucie county sheriff from the aviation division showed up, asked if he could look inside the plane and politely asked us some questions about the flight, which we responded. Then 3 more sheriff cruisers arrived, plus 2 unmarked sheriff cars and citation jet from united states customs. All were very polite and concerned about the trip and even the baby's condition. My pilots license and medical certificate were asked for and checked by the customs officer on the citation and my son's and daughter-in-law's drivers licenses were observed. At this point a narcotics detective arrived also. The customs officer in charge then approached us and handed back our licenses. I then presented him with my custom form 178 and customs declaration form 6059B, both already filled out, a practice I have been doing for almost 20 yrs of flying to the bahamas. After receiving the above mentioned forms and looking them over, he proceeded to check our baggage on the tarmac and immediately cleared us. Then he told the sheriff's people that he (customs) was ok and if the sheriff and narcotics officer were satisfied, we could leave. All agreed and we were cleared to depart. However, the customs officer in charge said he had to report the incident to the FAA. My wife was allowed to drive up to the aircraft. I then got back into my aircraft and departed IFR north to vero beach, my home base. What I really think caused the entire problem is the shortage of customs people to man these satellite customs facilities during and after hours. I was totally unaware of calling customs directly and thought my IFR flight plan plus asking center to notify customs of my late entry would be all that was necessary. To prevent this in the future, I will definitely call ahead if I have the need to return after customs closes. It's a little unfair that GA has to be so closely scrutinized when marine pleasure craft can just call in any time they enter the country if they want. Something I believe aviators must be politically involved with. P.south. The other issue that interests me is that if adcus is initiated in our flight plans, why can't this endorsement or verbal adcus to center be accepted by customs, is this a misnomer by the customs people?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SMT TWIN PLT HAD UNITED STATES CUSTOMS AND SUSPECTED DRUG MIXUP ON ARR FROM THE BAHAMAS.

Narrative: I WAS ORDERED TO TAXI INTO POS AND HOLD AT THE C4 INTXN ON RWY 11R AT VRB FOR AN IFR FLT TO MYAT IN THE BAHAMAS. THE FLT WAS MADE 1 DAY EARLIER THAN PLANNED. THE ROUND TRIP INTL IFR FLT PLANS WERE CALLED IN, BY ME, TO THE ST PETERSBURG FSS MONDAY EVENING. UPON ENTERING RWY 11R, A LOW VOLTAGE LIGHT CAME ON IN THE COCKPIT AND THE FLT WAS DELAYED AND PUT ON HOLD BY THE TWR TO HAVE MY MECHS CHK OUT THE PROB. AROUND XE30Z THE ALTERNATOR ELECTRICAL PROB WAS TEMPORARILY FIXED SO THE TRIP TO THE BAHAMAS COULD BE MADE. I THEN CALLED ST PETERSBURG FSS AGAIN AND REACTIVATED MY ROUND TRIP IFR FLT PLAN TO DEPART VRB AT XF00Z AND RETURN TO FPR AT XI45Z. AFTER LEAVING MYAT ARPT AT XH40Z, I CLBED VFR TO AROUND 5000 FT AND ACTIVATED MY IFR FLT PLAN WITH ZMA ON 134.2 AND RECEIVED MY SQUAWK CODE. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I ASKED CTR TO PLEASE CONTACT FT PIERCE CUSTOMS AND ADVISE THEM THAT I WOULD BE LATE. THE MIAMI CTLR ON 134.2 SAID HE COULD NOT DO THAT AND THAT IF I PLACED FT PIERCE ON MY FLT PLAN, CUSTOMS WOULD BE ADVISED OF MY PROPOSED ARR TIME. AFTER FLYING FOR ABOUT 20 MINS, I WAS CLRED DIRECT TO THE ANGEE INTXN THEN DIRECT FPR. ABOUT 10 MI E OF ANGEE, ZMA ON 132.15 SAID FPR WAS CLOSED AND I HAD TO PROCEED TO PBI AROUND 50 MI S OF FPR WHERE I HAD MY WIFE WAITING TO PICK UP THE BABY AND TAKE HIM HOME, RATHER THAN CLRING CUSTOMS AND PUTTING HIM IN THE ACFT TO FLY BACK TO VERO BEACH. I EXPLAINED TO THE CTLR I HAD AN INFANT IN THE PLANE AND WE HAD SOMEONE PICKING HIM UP IN FT PIERCE, BUT IT WASN'T A TRUE MEDICAL EMER. THE CTLR TOLD ME THAT IF I DIDN'T GO TO PALM BEACH MY PLANE WOULD BE IMPOUNDED BY CUSTOMS, SOMETHING I COULDN'T BELIEVE SINCE I WAS CLRED TO FPR INITIALLY. I PROCEEDED TO FPR, CANCELED MY IFR WHEN I HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT, THEN CONTACTED THE TWR, WHICH CLRED ME TO LAND. AFTER LNDG, I WAS DIRECTED TO THE CUSTOMS FACILITY AND TOLD THAT A CITATION JET WAS ORDERED FROM THE CALIFORNIA CUSTOMS HEADQUARTERS TO MEET ME. I THOUGHT THAT TO BE A LITTLE TOO DRAMATIC BUT ACCEPTED THE FACT. UPON REACHING THE CUSTOMS AREA, WHICH I AM FAMILIAR WITH, I OPENED ALL BAGGAGE COMPARTMENTS AND UNLOADED THE CONTENTS OF THE ACFT ON THE TARMAC, AND WAITED. WITHIN 2 MINS A ST LUCIE COUNTY SHERIFF FROM THE AVIATION DIVISION SHOWED UP, ASKED IF HE COULD LOOK INSIDE THE PLANE AND POLITELY ASKED US SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FLT, WHICH WE RESPONDED. THEN 3 MORE SHERIFF CRUISERS ARRIVED, PLUS 2 UNMARKED SHERIFF CARS AND CITATION JET FROM UNITED STATES CUSTOMS. ALL WERE VERY POLITE AND CONCERNED ABOUT THE TRIP AND EVEN THE BABY'S CONDITION. MY PLTS LICENSE AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WERE ASKED FOR AND CHKED BY THE CUSTOMS OFFICER ON THE CITATION AND MY SON'S AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW'S DRIVERS LICENSES WERE OBSERVED. AT THIS POINT A NARCOTICS DETECTIVE ARRIVED ALSO. THE CUSTOMS OFFICER IN CHARGE THEN APCHED US AND HANDED BACK OUR LICENSES. I THEN PRESENTED HIM WITH MY CUSTOM FORM 178 AND CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORM 6059B, BOTH ALREADY FILLED OUT, A PRACTICE I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR ALMOST 20 YRS OF FLYING TO THE BAHAMAS. AFTER RECEIVING THE ABOVE MENTIONED FORMS AND LOOKING THEM OVER, HE PROCEEDED TO CHK OUR BAGGAGE ON THE TARMAC AND IMMEDIATELY CLRED US. THEN HE TOLD THE SHERIFF'S PEOPLE THAT HE (CUSTOMS) WAS OK AND IF THE SHERIFF AND NARCOTICS OFFICER WERE SATISFIED, WE COULD LEAVE. ALL AGREED AND WE WERE CLRED TO DEPART. HOWEVER, THE CUSTOMS OFFICER IN CHARGE SAID HE HAD TO RPT THE INCIDENT TO THE FAA. MY WIFE WAS ALLOWED TO DRIVE UP TO THE ACFT. I THEN GOT BACK INTO MY ACFT AND DEPARTED IFR N TO VERO BEACH, MY HOME BASE. WHAT I REALLY THINK CAUSED THE ENTIRE PROB IS THE SHORTAGE OF CUSTOMS PEOPLE TO MAN THESE SATELLITE CUSTOMS FACILITIES DURING AND AFTER HRS. I WAS TOTALLY UNAWARE OF CALLING CUSTOMS DIRECTLY AND THOUGHT MY IFR FLT PLAN PLUS ASKING CTR TO NOTIFY CUSTOMS OF MY LATE ENTRY WOULD BE ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY. TO PREVENT THIS IN THE FUTURE, I WILL DEFINITELY CALL AHEAD IF I HAVE THE NEED TO RETURN AFTER CUSTOMS CLOSES. IT'S A LITTLE UNFAIR THAT GA HAS TO BE SO CLOSELY SCRUTINIZED WHEN MARINE PLEASURE CRAFT CAN JUST CALL IN ANY TIME THEY ENTER THE COUNTRY IF THEY WANT. SOMETHING I BELIEVE AVIATORS MUST BE POLITICALLY INVOLVED WITH. P.S. THE OTHER ISSUE THAT INTERESTS ME IS THAT IF ADCUS IS INITIATED IN OUR FLT PLANS, WHY CAN'T THIS ENDORSEMENT OR VERBAL ADCUS TO CTR BE ACCEPTED BY CUSTOMS, IS THIS A MISNOMER BY THE CUSTOMS PEOPLE?

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.